Lightig control apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A lighting control apparatus ( 106 ) may include an accelerometer ( 118 ), a wireless communication interface ( 112 ), and a secure connection ( 125 ) for securing the lighting control apparatus to a surface. The secure connection may be configured to transfer motion imparted on the surface to the accelerometer. A controller ( 108 ) may be coupled with the accelerometer and the wireless communication interface. The controller may be configured to: receive, from the accelerometer, a signal representative of motion sensed by the accelerometer; determine, based on the signal from the accelerometer, that the sensed motion satisfies a motion criterion; and transmit, over the wireless communication interface to a lighting unit ( 104 ) or a lighting system bridge ( 102 ), data configured to cause one or more lighting units to emit light having one or more selected properties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed generally to lighting control. Moreparticularly, various inventive methods and apparatus disclosed hereinrelate to controlling one or more properties of light emitted by alighting unit based on one or more motions sensed by a lighting controlapparatus that is secured to a surface of an object.

BACKGROUND

Digital lighting technologies, i.e., illumination based on semiconductorlight sources, such as light-emitting diodes (“LEDs”), offer a viablealternative to traditional fluorescent, HID, and incandescent lamps.Functional advantages and benefits of LEDs include high energyconversion and optical efficiency, durability, lower operating costs,and many others. Recent advances in LED technology have providedefficient and robust full-spectrum lighting sources that enable avariety of lighting effects in many applications. Some of the fixturesembodying these sources feature a lighting module, including one or moreLEDs capable of producing different colors, e.g., red, green, and blue,as well as a processor for independently controlling the output of theLEDs in order to generate a variety of colors and color-changinglighting effects, for example, as discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos.6,016,038 and 6,211,626, incorporated herein by reference.

Lamps and luminaires exist that provide users with limited capabilitiesto control emitted light with techniques other than operation ofswitches. For instance, a “clapper” enables a lamp to be controlled withsound, typically in the form of one or more claps from a user. Otherlamps include touch-sensitive surfaces that may be at least partiallycapacitive. A user's touch may be detected based on a change in thatcapacitance, and light emitted by one or more light sources of the lampmay be altered based on the nature of the user's touch. However, such alamp may require a custom luminaire designed to have an alterablecapacitance. An antique luminaire with artistic and/or sentimental valuemay not be suitable for conversion into a touch-sensitive lamp.Additionally, a user may wish to control lighting by touching objectsother than luminaires or lamps, such as a picture frame, a wall, a doorknob, etc. Based on the foregoing, there is a need in the art tofacilitate touch-based lighting control using various household objectsand/or surfaces.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to inventive methods and apparatusfor lighting control. For example, a lighting control apparatus may besecured to various objects and may be configured with one or morecomponents configured to measure motion or force imparted on the object.One or more properties of light emitted by one or more lighting unitsmay be selected based on one or more signals from these one or morecomponents.

In various embodiments, a lighting control apparatus may include: anaccelerometer; a wireless communication interface; a secure connectionfor connecting the lighting control apparatus to a surface andconfigured to transfer motion imparted on the surface to theaccelerometer; and a controller coupled with the accelerometer and thewireless communication interface. The controller may be configured to:receive, from the accelerometer, a signal representative of motionsensed by the accelerometer; determine, based on the signal from theaccelerometer, that the sensed motion satisfies a motion criterion; andtransmit, over the wireless communication interface to a lighting unitor a lighting system bridge, data configured to cause one or morelighting units to emit light having one or more selected properties. Invarious embodiments, the data may include a lighting control command. Invarious embodiments, the data may include a signal that the sensedmotion satisfies the motion criterion.

In various embodiments, the controller may be further configured totransition to a learning state in which the controller monitors one ormore characteristics of one or more signals from the accelerometer overa learning time interval and generates one or more motion criteria basedon the monitored one or more characteristics. In various versions, thecontroller may be further configured to cause audio or visual output tobe rendered to prompt a user to apply a first force to the surfaceduring the learning time interval. In various versions, the controllermay be further configured to cause audio or visual output to be renderedto prompt the user to apply a second force to the surface that isdifferent than the first force in response to a determination that thefirst force failed to satisfy a threshold. In various versions, thecontroller may be further configured to select, based on a signalreceived from the accelerometer during the learning time interval, aproperty of light or lighting scene to which a newly generated motioncriterion is assigned. In various versions, the controller may beconfigured to determine, based on one or more characteristics of asignal received from the accelerometer, a sensitivity threshold to beassociated with the accelerometer.

In various embodiments, the controller may be further configured to:identify, based on the sensed motion, a physical region of the surfaceto which force was applied; and select, based on the identified physicalregion, the one or more properties of light emitted by the one or morelighting units. In various embodiments, the lighting control apparatusmay include a microphone coupled with the controller. The controller maybe configured to determine that the sensed motion satisfies the motioncriterion further based on a signal from the microphone.

In various embodiments, the lighting control apparatus may include agyroscope. The controller may be configured to determine that the sensedmotion satisfies the motion criterion further based on a signal from thegyroscope. In various embodiments, the controller may be configured todetermine, based on the signal from the accelerometer, a magnitude ofthe sensed motion, and select, based on the magnitude, the one or moreproperties of light emitted by the one or more lighting units.

In various embodiments, the controller may be further configured totransition from an inactive state, in which the controller consumes afirst amount of power, to an active state, in which the controllerconsumes a second amount of power that is greater than the first amountof power, in response to an interrupt raised by the accelerometer. Theaccelerometer may be configured to raise the interrupt in response tosensing motion that satisfies a threshold.

In various embodiments, the lighting control apparatus may include aplacement sensor to raise a placement signal in response to detectionthat the lighting control apparatus has been secured to the surface. Thecontroller may be configured to transition from an inactive state to anactive state in response to the placement signal.

In another aspect, a lighting control method may include: activating alighting control apparatus; securing the lighting control apparatus toan object; receiving, by the lighting control apparatus, one or moresignals indicative of motion imparted on the object; identifying, basedon the one or more signals, one or more predetermined motions to whichthe imparted motion corresponds; and selecting one or more properties oflight to be emitted by one or more lighting units based on theidentified one or more predetermined motions.

In various embodiments, the method may further include transitioning thelighting control apparatus into a learning state, obtaining, from amotion detector associated with the lighting control apparatus, one ormore impulse patterns for storage as one or more predetermined motions,and identifying one or more properties of light to be associated withthe one or more predetermined motions. In various versions, thetransitioning may be performed in response to a determination, by thelighting control apparatus, that the securing has occurred.

In various embodiments, the activating may include uncovering anadhesive surface of the lighting control apparatus. In variousembodiments, the securing may include securing the adhesive surface to asurface of the object. In various embodiments, the method may includedetermining that the one or more signals indicative of motion impartedon the object satisfy a threshold. In some such embodiments, theidentifying may be performed in response to the determining.

As used herein for purposes of the present disclosure, the term “LED”should be understood to include any electroluminescent diode or othertype of carrier injection/junction-based system that is capable ofgenerating radiation in response to an electric signal. Thus, the termLED includes, but is not limited to, various semiconductor-basedstructures that emit light in response to current, light emittingpolymers, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), electroluminescentstrips, and the like. In particular, the term LED refers to lightemitting diodes of all types (including semi-conductor and organic lightemitting diodes) that may be configured to generate radiation in one ormore of the infrared spectrum, ultraviolet spectrum, and variousportions of the visible spectrum (generally including radiationwavelengths from approximately 400 nanometers to approximately 700nanometers). Some examples of LEDs include, but are not limited to,various types of infrared LEDs, ultraviolet LEDs, red LEDs, blue LEDs,green LEDs, yellow LEDs, amber LEDs, orange LEDs, and white LEDs(discussed further below). It also should be appreciated that LEDs maybe configured and/or controlled to generate radiation having variousbandwidths (e.g., full widths at half maximum, or FWHM) for a givenspectrum (e.g., narrow bandwidth, broad bandwidth), and a variety ofdominant wavelengths within a given general color categorization.

For example, one implementation of an LED configured to generateessentially white light (e.g., a white LED) may include a number of dieswhich respectively emit different spectra of electroluminescence that,in combination, mix to form essentially white light. In anotherimplementation, a white light LED may be associated with a phosphormaterial that converts electroluminescence having a first spectrum to adifferent second spectrum. In one example of this implementation,electroluminescence having a relatively short wavelength and narrowbandwidth spectrum “pumps” the phosphor material, which in turn radiateslonger wavelength radiation having a somewhat broader spectrum.

It should also be understood that the term LED does not limit thephysical and/or electrical package type of an LED. For example, asdiscussed above, an LED may refer to a single light emitting devicehaving multiple dies that are configured to respectively emit differentspectra of radiation (e.g., that may or may not be individuallycontrollable). Also, an LED may be associated with a phosphor that isconsidered as an integral part of the LED (e.g., some types of whiteLEDs). In general, the term LED may refer to packaged LEDs, non-packagedLEDs, surface mount LEDs, chip-on-board LEDs, T-package mount LEDs,radial package LEDs, power package LEDs, LEDs including some type ofencasement and/or optical element (e.g., a diffusing lens), etc.

The term “light source” should be understood to refer to any one or moreof a variety of radiation sources, including, but not limited to,LED-based sources (including one or more LEDs as defined above),incandescent sources (e.g., filament lamps, halogen lamps), fluorescentsources, phosphorescent sources, high-intensity discharge sources (e.g.,sodium vapor, mercury vapor, and metal halide lamps), lasers, othertypes of electroluminescent sources, pyro-luminescent sources (e.g.,flames), candle-luminescent sources (e.g., gas mantles, carbon arcradiation sources), photo-luminescent sources (e.g., gaseous dischargesources), cathode luminescent sources using electronic satiation,galvano-luminescent sources, crystallo-luminescent sources,kine-luminescent sources, thermo-luminescent sources, triboluminescentsources, sonoluminescent sources, radioluminescent sources, andluminescent polymers.

A given light source may be configured to generate electromagneticradiation within the visible spectrum, outside the visible spectrum, ora combination of both. Hence, the terms “light” and “radiation” are usedinterchangeably herein. Additionally, a light source may include as anintegral component one or more filters (e.g., color filters), lenses, orother optical components. Also, it should be understood that lightsources may be configured for a variety of applications, including, butnot limited to, indication, display, and/or illumination. An“illumination source” is a light source that is particularly configuredto generate radiation having a sufficient intensity to effectivelyilluminate an interior or exterior space. In this context, “sufficientintensity” refers to sufficient radiant power in the visible spectrumgenerated in the space or environment (the unit “lumens” often isemployed to represent the total light output from a light source in alldirections, in terms of radiant power or “luminous flux”) to provideambient illumination (i.e., light that may be perceived indirectly andthat may be, for example, reflected off of one or more of a variety ofintervening surfaces before being perceived in whole or in part).

The term “spectrum” should be understood to refer to any one or morefrequencies (or wavelengths) of radiation produced by one or more lightsources. Accordingly, the term “spectrum” refers to frequencies (orwavelengths) not only in the visible range, but also frequencies (orwavelengths) in the infrared, ultraviolet, and other areas of theoverall electromagnetic spectrum. Also, a given spectrum may have arelatively narrow bandwidth (e.g., a FWHM having essentially fewfrequency or wavelength components) or a relatively wide bandwidth(several frequency or wavelength components having various relativestrengths). It should also be appreciated that a given spectrum may bethe result of a mixing of two or more other spectra (e.g., mixingradiation respectively emitted from multiple light sources).

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “color” is usedinterchangeably with the term “spectrum.” However, the term “color”generally is used to refer primarily to a property of radiation that isperceivable by an observer (although this usage is not intended to limitthe scope of this term). Accordingly, the terms “different colors”implicitly refer to multiple spectra having different wavelengthcomponents and/or bandwidths. It also should be appreciated that theterm “color” may be used in connection with both white and non-whitelight.

The term “color temperature” generally is used herein in connection withwhite light, although this usage is not intended to limit the scope ofthis term. Color temperature essentially refers to a particular colorcontent or shade (e.g., reddish, bluish) of white light. The colortemperature of a given radiation sample conventionally is characterizedaccording to the temperature in degrees Kelvin (K) of a black bodyradiator that radiates essentially the same spectrum as the radiationsample in question. Black body radiator color temperatures generallyfall within a range of approximately 700 degrees K (typically consideredthe first visible to the human eye) to over 10,000 degrees K; whitelight generally is perceived at color temperatures above 1500-2000degrees K.

Lower color temperatures generally indicate white light having a moresignificant red component or a “warmer feel,” while higher colortemperatures generally indicate white light having a more significantblue component or a “cooler feel.” By way of example, fire has a colortemperature of approximately 1,800 degrees K, a conventionalincandescent bulb has a color temperature of approximately 2848 degreesK, early morning daylight has a color temperature of approximately 3,000degrees K, and overcast midday skies have a color temperature ofapproximately 10,000 degrees K. A color image viewed under white lighthaving a color temperature of approximately 3,000 degree K has arelatively reddish tone, whereas the same color image viewed under whitelight having a color temperature of approximately 10,000 degrees K has arelatively bluish tone.

The term “lighting fixture” is used herein to refer to an implementationor arrangement of one or more lighting units in a particular formfactor, assembly, or package. The term “lighting unit” is used herein torefer to an apparatus including one or more light sources of same ordifferent types. A given lighting unit may have any one of a variety ofmounting arrangements for the light source(s), enclosure/housingarrangements and shapes, and/or electrical and mechanical connectionconfigurations. Additionally, a given lighting unit optionally may beassociated with (e.g., include, be coupled to and/or packaged togetherwith) various other components (e.g., control circuitry) relating to theoperation of the light source(s). An “LED-based lighting unit” refers toa lighting unit that includes one or more LED-based light sources asdiscussed above, alone or in combination with other non LED-based lightsources. A “multi-channel” lighting unit refers to an LED-based or nonLED-based lighting unit that includes at least two light sourcesconfigured to respectively generate different spectrums of radiation,wherein each different source spectrum may be referred to as a “channel”of the multi-channel lighting unit. The term “luminaire” is used hereinto refer to a lighting fixture, lamp, or other device into which alighting unit may be installed. For example, a lighting unit in the formof an LED light bulb may be screwed into a socket of a luminaire such asa desk lamp, hanging lamp or standing lamp. The luminaire may beconnected to a power source such as AC mains, and may be configured to,among other things, supply power to an installed lighting unit so thatthe light unit is capable of emitting light.

The term “controller” is used herein generally to describe variousapparatus relating to the operation of one or more light sources. Acontroller can be implemented in numerous ways (e.g., such as withdedicated hardware) to perform various functions discussed herein. A“processor” is one example of a controller which employs one or moremicroprocessors that may be programmed using software (e.g., microcode)to perform various functions discussed herein. A controller may beimplemented with or without employing a processor, and also may beimplemented as a combination of dedicated hardware to perform somefunctions and a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessorsand associated circuitry) to perform other functions. Examples ofcontroller components that may be employed in various embodiments of thepresent disclosure include, but are not limited to, conventionalmicroprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), andfield-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

In various implementations, a processor or controller may be associatedwith one or more storage media (generically referred to herein as“memory,” e.g., volatile and non-volatile computer memory such as RAM,PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM, floppy disks, compact disks, optical disks,magnetic tape, etc.). In some implementations, the storage media may beencoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or moreprocessors and/or controllers, perform at least some of the functionsdiscussed herein. Various storage media may be fixed within a processoror controller or may be transportable, such that the one or moreprograms stored thereon can be loaded into a processor or controller soas to implement various aspects of the present invention discussedherein. The terms “program” or “computer program” are used herein in ageneric sense to refer to any type of computer code (e.g., software ormicrocode) that can be employed to program one or more processors orcontrollers.

The term “addressable” is used herein to refer to a device (e.g., alight source in general, a lighting unit or fixture, a controller orprocessor associated with one or more light sources or lighting units,other non-lighting related devices, etc.) that is configured to receiveinformation (e.g., data) intended for multiple devices, includingitself, and to selectively respond to particular information intendedfor it. The term “addressable” often is used in connection with anetworked environment (or a “network,” discussed further below), inwhich multiple devices are coupled together via some communicationsmedium or media.

In one network implementation, one or more devices coupled to a networkmay serve as a controller for one or more other devices coupled to thenetwork (e.g., in a master/slave relationship). In anotherimplementation, a networked environment may include one or morededicated controllers that are configured to control one or more of thedevices coupled to the network. Generally, multiple devices coupled tothe network each may have access to data that is present on thecommunications medium or media; however, a given device may be“addressable” in that it is configured to selectively exchange data with(i.e., receive data from and/or transmit data to) the network, based,for example, on one or more particular identifiers (e.g., “addresses”)assigned to it.

The term “network” as used herein refers to any interconnection of twoor more devices (including controllers or processors) that facilitatesthe transport of information (e.g., for device control, data storage,data exchange, etc.) between any two or more devices and/or amongmultiple devices coupled to the network. As should be readilyappreciated, various implementations of networks suitable forinterconnecting multiple devices may include any of a variety of networktopologies and employ any of a variety of communication protocols.Additionally, in various networks according to the present disclosure,any one connection between two devices may represent a dedicatedconnection between the two systems, or alternatively a non-dedicatedconnection. In addition to carrying information intended for the twodevices, such a non-dedicated connection may carry information notnecessarily intended for either of the two devices (e.g., an opennetwork connection). Furthermore, it should be readily appreciated thatvarious networks of devices as discussed herein may employ one or morewireless, wire/cable, and/or fiber optic links to facilitate informationtransport throughout the network.

The term “user interface” as used herein refers to an interface betweena human user or operator and one or more devices that enablescommunication between the user and the device(s). Examples of userinterfaces that may be employed in various implementations of thepresent disclosure include, but are not limited to, switches,potentiometers, buttons, dials, sliders, a mouse, keyboard, keypad,various types of game controllers (e.g., joysticks), track balls,display screens, various types of graphical user interfaces (GUIs),touch screens, microphones and other types of sensors that may receivesome form of human-generated stimulus and generate a signal in responsethereto.

It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing conceptsand additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided suchconcepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being partof the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, allcombinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of thisdisclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subjectmatter disclosed herein. It should also be appreciated that terminologyexplicitly employed herein that also may appear in any disclosureincorporated by reference should be accorded a meaning most consistentwith the particular concepts disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed uponillustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically example components of a lighting systemin which a lighting control apparatus configured with selected aspectsof the present disclosure may be deployed, in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts one example of components that may be employed in alighting system bridge, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts an example method that may be performed by/with alighting control apparatus configured with selected aspects of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Lamps and luminaires exist that provide users with limited capabilitiesto control emitted light with techniques other than operation ofswitches, such as touch-based and sound based (e.g., a “clapper”).However, not all lamps or luminaires are suitable for such techniques ofcontrol. Additionally, a user may wish to control lighting by touchingobjects unrelated to luminaires or lamps. Accordingly, there is a needin the art to facilitate touch-based lighting control using varioushousehold objects and/or surfaces. More generally, Applicants haverecognized and appreciated that it would be beneficial to providemechanisms for enabling users to control light output of lighting unitsand luminaires without requiring the luminaires or lighting units to becustomized. For example, apparatus and techniques are disclosed thatfacilitate detection of user touch of a surface of any object, andcontrol of one or more properties of light emitted by one or morelighting units based on that detected user touch.

Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, a lighting system 100 mayinclude, and may be at least partially controlled by, a lighting systembridge 102. Lighting system bridge 102 may be a computing device that isin network communication with one or more lighting units 104 usingvarious communication technologies, such as WiFi or ZIGBEE®. Lightingunit 104 may come in various forms, such as LED-based, incandescent,fluorescent, halogen, and so forth. In various embodiments, lightingunit 104 may include its own wireless communication interface (notdepicted), as well as other control circuitry that enables it toexchange data with remote computing devices, such as lighting systembridge 102, and selectively emit light having various properties (e.g.,hue, saturation, dynamic effects, intensity, etc.).

A lighting control apparatus 106 may be provided that may be portableuntil it is secured to an object. In some embodiments, lighting controlapparatus 106 may be readily removable and replaceable with relation toone or more objects, and thus may be referred to as “removable,”although this is not required. Lighting control apparatus 106 may beoperable by a user to control one or more properties of light emitted byone or more lighting units 104. The lighting control apparatus 106 maybe provided to be relatively small and inconspicuous or concealable withrelation to the object. As such, the lighting control apparatus 106 canbe attached to a personal or decorative object in the home that ispositioned at a strategic location. For instance, it could be attachedinside a vase that sits on the dining table, or be attached to the backof a painting frame that is positioned close to the entrance of theroom, thereby turning the passive, non-interactive object into aninteractive lighting control object. As a result a user can simply touchthe decorative object to activate a pre-defined lighting scene.

Lighting control apparatus 106 may include various components that maybe operably coupled in various ways, such as via one or more buses 107.In various embodiments, lighting control apparatus 106 may include acontroller 108, memory 110, a wireless communication interface 112, amotion detector 114, and in some instances, an integral user interface116. In various embodiments, memory 110 may include instructions thatare executable by controller 108 to perform various operations describedherein. In various embodiments, wireless communication interface 112 maybe configured to communicate with remote computing devices using variouswireless technologies that may or may not be based on radio frequencies(“RF”), such as ZIGBEE®, WiFi, near field communication (“NFC”),Bluetooth, and so forth.

In various embodiments, motion detector 114 may include an accelerometer118, a gyroscope 120, and/or a microphone 122. One or more of thesecomponents 118, 120, and/or 122 may be used, alone or in combination, tosense and/or measure a motion that is experienced by lighting controlapparatus 106 and/or an object (e.g. a first object) to which lightingcontrol apparatus 106 is secured, and/or another object (e.g. a secondobject) to which the first object is “mechanically coupled.” As usedherein, two objects are “mechanically coupled” where there is some sortof direct or indirect physical contact between them that may facilitatetransfer of motion. For example, a vase that sits on a table may bemechanically coupled to the table because motion imparted on one may betransferred at least in part to the other.

Accelerometer 118 may come in various forms, such as a two- orthree-axis accelerometer or a simple tilt sensor, and may be configuredto detect movement in various axes and provide a corresponding signal(s)to controller 108. In some embodiments, accelerometer 118 may be anADXL345 Motion Sensor by Analog Devices in Norwood, Mass. Other sensorsmay be used in addition to or instead of the sensors described aboveincluding capacitive sensors, resistive (potentiometer) sensors,piezoelectric-based, optical, light-based (e.g., infrared), reflective(emitter/detector)-based and/or any other type of sensor that detectscontact and/or proximity (e.g., hover) of a finger or other suitablepointing mechanism. The motion detector 114 may include an array ofsensors disposed over the surface area of the object.

Lighting control apparatus 106 may be secured to a surface of an objectusing various means 125. In various embodiments, motion transfer andsecure connection component 125 may be configured to both secure thelighting control apparatus to the surface of the object as well astransfer motion imparted on the surface of the object to motion detector114, so that actions or motions resulting in a mechanical force appliedto the object may be detected by motion detector 114. Thus, and as willbe discussed throughout this disclosure, installation of lightingcontrol apparatus 106 onto an object (and its subsequent activation)may, in effect, convert that object into a touch-activated lightingcontrol device that can be used to control one or more properties oflight emitted by one or more lighting units 104.

In various embodiments, secure connection component may come in variousforms, and may be configured to secure lighting control apparatus 106 tovarious objects with various levels of tightness of mechanicalconnection. Secure connection and motion transfer component 125 mayinclude but are not limited to various adhesives (e.g., activated byremoving tape), hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro), double sidedfoam tape (e.g., with removable tape to activate), suction cup(s), oneor more magnets, one or more screws or a clips, and so forth. Lightingcontrol apparatus 106 may have various form factors, including but notlimited to a relatively flat sticker, a window sticker (e.g., with solarcell), a long strip, a tap sensor with a connector for connection to alighting unit or luminaire, or a socket extender, for instance. In someembodiments, the motion transfer component may be separate from thesecure connection component, while in other embodiments both maycomprise one unit.

In some embodiments, motion detector 114 may be separate from lightingcontrol apparatus 106 and may be configured to wireless transfer thedetected motion signal to lighting control apparatus 106. The motiondetector 114 may comprise a separate motion transfer and secureconnection component 125 that allows the motion detector to be placedinconspicuously on the surface of the object. Motion detector 114 mayinclude a radio-frequency transponder, which may be configured tocollect DC power from a nearby lighting control apparatus 106.

Lighting control apparatus 106 may be activated before or after beingsecured to an object in various ways. In some embodiments, activating abattery may activate lighting control apparatus 106. In otherembodiments, activation may be tied to secure connection 125. Forexample, a placement sensor 127 may transmit a placement signal inresponse to detection of lighting control apparatus 106 being secured tothe surface. Controller 108 may be configured to transition from aninactive state to an active state in response to the placement signal.For example, remove of tape from an adhesive surface of lighting controlapparatus 106 may expose and/or change capacitance and/impedance of orbetween various components, which may be sensed by placement sensor 127,and which in turn may trigger activation of lighting control apparatus106.

In some embodiments, once lighting control apparatus 106 is activated, agraphical representation of lighting control apparatus 106 may berendered on a computing device (e.g., smart phone, tablet computer smartwatch, smart glasses, etc.) that is configured to control illuminationof one or more lighting units 104 of lighting system 100. A user may beprompted by the computing device to impart some sort of motion (e.g., atap) at or near the newly-activated lighting control apparatus 106. Thismay cause lighting control apparatus 106 to be added to lighting system100. This routine of prompting the user for motion and receiving it mayprovide a secure way to add lighting control apparatus 106 to lightingsystem 100 without a neighbor's lighting system (not depicted), whichmay also receive a wireless signal from lighting control apparatus 106,also adding lighting control apparatus 106.

After activation (and in some instances operating in a “learning mode”or “learning state” described in more detail below), controller 108 maybe configured to receive, e.g., from motion detector 114, one or moresignals representative of motion sensed by motion detector 114. Thismotion may correspond to motion of an object to which lighting controlapparatus 106 is secured. This motion may also correspond to motion oraction on the surface of the object to which lighting control apparatus106 is secured. Some examples of motions may include, but is not limitedto, a press, a tap, a double-tap, a swipe, a squeeze, a zoom gesture,and a handprint or a combinations or sequence thereof. The one or moresignals provided by motion detector 114 may be analyzed to determinewhether the sensed motion satisfies one or more motion criteria, e.g.,such as corresponding to one or more predetermined motions that in turncorrespond to one or more lighting control commands.

The analysis to determine whether the sensed motion corresponds to oneor more predetermined motions may be performed by various components oflighting system 100, such as lighting system bridge 102, one or morelighting units 104, or lighting control apparatus 106 itself. Forexample, controller 108 may delegate analysis of the signal to a remotecomputing device such as lighting system bridge 102 by transmitting dataindicative of the sensed motion to the remote computing device. Theremote computing device may determine whether the sensed motioncorresponds to one or more predetermined motions that in turn correspondto one or more lighting control commands. In other embodiments,controller 108 may perform this analysis itself, or may delegate itinstead to a lighting unit 104.

Impulse patterns representative of various predetermined motions may bestored in memory of various devices, such as memory of lighting systembridge 102, memory of one or more lighting units 104, or memory 110 oflighting control apparatus 106. In various embodiments, a signalreceived from motion detector 114 may be compared, e.g., by lightingsystem bridge 102 or controller 108, to these impulse patterns todetermine which, if any, of the predetermined motions has been sensed.If an impulse pattern is found that corresponds to a signal from motiondetector 114 representing a sensed motion, one or more lighting units104 may be energized to emit light having one or more selectedproperties. A signal from motion detector 114 may correspond to animpulse pattern where it matches or comes close enough to the impulsepattern (e.g., within a predefined or user-controllable margin oferror). Additionally or alternatively, a signal from motion detector 114may correspond to an impulse pattern where a motion represented in thesignal has an associated impulse response (e.g., how long a swipeassociated with a detected acceleration takes to decrease to zero) thatis similar (e.g., in duration) to that of a predetermined motion.

In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of determining whether asensed motion corresponds with a predetermined motion, a magnitude ofthe sensed motion may be determined. The magnitude may be a magnitude offorce or a magnitude or surface area. The magnitude of the sensed motionmay be based on one or more signals from motion detector 114 that isbased on one or more motions on the surface of the object. One or moreproperties of the emitted light may then be selected, e.g., by lightingsystem bridge 102 and/or controller 108, based on the determinedmagnitude. For instance, a hard tap may correspond a larger amount ofpressure (e.g., with a high magnitude) that may correspond to a highlevel of intensity in emitted light. Similarly, a tap having a largesurface area (e.g. a handprint) may correspond to a level of intensityin emitted light. A soft tap may correspond to a small amount ofpressure and may correspond to a low level of intensity in emittedlight. Similarly, a tap with a small surface area (e.g. a finger press)may correspond to a low level of intensity in emitted light.

In some embodiments, a magnitude of the sensed motion may dictate howmany lighting units (or light sources of lighting units) are energized.Suppose a lighting control apparatus 106 is configured to controlillumination of a plurality of lighting units positioned at variousdistances from where lighting control apparatus 106 is secured to awall. Lighting control apparatus 106 may selectively energize one ormore of those lighting units based at least in part on a magnitude of atap on the wall, e.g., in a radiating pattern from the location oflighting control apparatus. If a tap is soft, lighting control apparatus106 may energize only a select few lighting units that are closest toit. It a tap is relatively strong, lighting control apparatus 106 mayenergize more lighting units, including lighting units that are furtheraway from it. Similarly, a tap with different surface areas maycorrespond to different number of lighting units being energized.

In further embodiments, in addition to or instead of determining whethera sensed motion corresponds with a predetermined motion, a direction ofthe sensed motion may be determined, e.g. based on one or more signalsfrom motion detector 114 detected from the surface of the object. One ormore properties of the emitted light may then be selected, e.g., bylighting system bridge 102 and/or controller 108, based on thedetermined direction. For instance, a swipe in one direction (e.g.upward direction) may correspond to a first level of intensity inemitted light. A swipe in another direction (e.g. downward direction)may correspond to a low level of intensity in emitted light (e.g.dimming of light). Similarly to magnitude, a sensed motion with adirection may correspond to control of multiple lighting sources.

In yet a further embodiment, in addition to or instead of determiningwhether a sensed motion corresponds with a predetermined motion, atiming or pattern of the sensed motion may be determined, e.g. based onone or more signals from motion detector 114 detected from the surfaceof the object. One or more properties of the emitted light may then beselected, e.g., by lighting system bridge 102 and/or controller 108,based on the determined timing. For instance, a tap-pause-tap maycorrespond to a predefined setting of emitted light (e.g. a property oflight). Similarly to magnitude and direction, a sensed motion withtiming (e.g. multiple taps) may correspond to control of multiplelighting sources.

As noted above, motion detector 114 may include other components besidesaccelerometer 118 to aide in touch-based lighting control. For instance,in some embodiments, a signal from gyroscope 120 may be used bycontroller 108 in addition to or instead of a signal from accelerometer118 to determine whether a sensed motion corresponds to an impulsepattern that represents a predetermined motion. Additionally oralternatively, a signal from microphone 122 may be used by controller108 in addition to or instead of a signal from accelerometer 118 and/orgyroscope 120 to determine whether sensed motion corresponds to animpulse pattern stored in memory 110 that represents a predeterminedmotion.

For example, suppose a small amount of force, such the type of appliedforce that may result from incidental contact (e.g., by a pet), isapplied to an object to which lighting control apparatus 106 is secured.If controller 108 were to base the decision to alter to one or moreproperties of light emitted by one or more lighting units 104 on thesignal from accelerometer 118 alone, controller 108 might cause analteration in lighting where none is intended. However, in embodimentswith microphone 122, controller 108 may require that a measured force beaccompanied by a sufficiently-loud sound detected by microphone 122 inorder to trigger a change in one or more properties of light emitted bylighting unit 104. In some embodiments, sound detected by microphone 122may be required before controller 108 will examine a signal fromaccelerometer 118 and selectively energize one or more lighting units inresponse.

User interface 116 may take various forms, such as a plurality ofdipswitches, one or more knobs or buttons, and so forth. User interface116 may be operable to activate lighting control apparatus 106, as wellas to transition lighting control apparatus 106 into and out of a“learning mode.” In this learning mode, which will be described in moredetail below, a user may “train” lighting control apparatus 106 to beresponsive to various types of motion. This motion may be caused byvarious user actions, such as tapping on an object to which lightingcontrol apparatus 106 is secured, or an object that is “mechanicallycoupled” with the object to which lighting control apparatus 106 issecured.

As noted above, lighting control apparatus 106 may transition into alearning state in which controller 108 may be trained to detect one ormore predetermined motions, as well as trained to associate one or morelighting properties with those predetermined motions. While in thelearning state, controller 108 may monitor one or more characteristicsof one or more signals received from motion detector 114 over a timeinterval. Controller 108 may then generate and/or record impulsepatterns and/or impulse responses representing various predeterminedmotions based on the monitored one or more characteristics. Later,controller 108 may compare sensed motions (and/or associated impulseresponses) against these predetermined motions (and/or associatedimpulse responses) to select one or more properties of light to beemitted by one or more lighting units 104.

While lighting control apparatus 106 is in the learning state, a usermay be prompted to apply force to an object to which lighting controlapparatus 106 is secured so that controller 108 may learn the resultingsensed motion for future reference. For instance, in some embodiments,controller 108 may selectively cause one or more lighting units 104 or acomputing device (e.g., smart phone, tablet, not depicted) operated bythe user to prompt a user to apply force to the object. In oneembodiment, the user may be prompted by user interface 116 to go througha series of particular motions on the object so that the controller 108can “learn,” the controller would then associate the particular signalswith the particular motions (e.g. prompt the user to tap, swipe, press,etc.). In other embodiments, the user interface 116 may prompt the userto enter any motion, the lighting control apparatus 106 would thenassociate the received signal with a user created motion (e.g. a custommotion). The controller 108 may then associate the entered motion andthe associated received signals from the motion detector 114 with thecustom motion and subsequently store the custom motion.

In some embodiments, controller 108 may select which property of lightto which a predetermined motion is to be assigned based on a signal frommotion detector 114. For instance, if a user wishes to record one ormore predetermined motions that will be used to adjust brightness, theuser may tap or otherwise apply force to or move the object to whichlighting control apparatus 106 is secured in a manner that will match apredetermined motion associated with brightness adjustment. This maycause controller 108 to enter a learning mode for brightness adjustment.Additionally or alternatively, the user may cause controller 108 toenter the learning mode for brightness by providing an instruction at aremote computing device such as a smart phone or tablet computer (notdepicted), or by operating user interface 116. The user may then provideone or more taps that she wishes to associate with brightness control inthe future. Control of other properties of light may be configuredsimilarly.

In some embodiments, lighting control apparatus 106 may, while in itslearning state, sense a previously unknown motion, and may activate atimer. A user may then have a predetermined time interval to adjust oneor more lighting units 104 to desired settings (or to collectively emita desired lighting scene). At the expiration of the timer, the settingsof the one or more lighting units 104 may, in effect, become a lightingscene that is thereafter assigned to (and triggered by) detection of thepreviously unknown motion.

In some embodiments, a lighting control application operating on acomputing device (e.g., smart phone, tablet computer, wearable computingdevice, etc.) may provide the user with feedback about how suitable alocation is for placement of lighting control apparatus 106. Forinstance, the application may prompt a user to tap or otherwise impartmotion at or near lighting control apparatus 106 several times, and mayrender graphical output (e.g., performance bar, terms such as“good”/“average”/“poor”, etc.) demonstrating to the user how stronglythat motion is actually detected, which may be related to itsreliability (e.g. providing feedback back to the user).

In some embodiments, the lighting control application may enable a userto assign a particular lighting property or lighting scene to aparticular motion. For example, the user could select from a pluralityof predetermined lighting scenes, and then the lighting controlapplication would prompt the user to provide the motion the user wishesto trigger implementation of the selected lighting scene in the future.In some embodiments, the lighting control application may also allow auser to configure how one or more lighting units 104 should react whenmotion is detected at lighting control apparatus 106 while a lightingscene is already being implemented by the one or more lighting units104. For example, if a particular lighting scene is already beingimplemented, lighting control apparatus 106 may simply ignore sensedmotions that fail to satisfy a particular threshold, or may switch oneor more lighting units to a default setting (e.g., off, on, providereading light, etc.).

Referring back to FIG. 1, a power source is provided in the form of arechargeable battery 124, for example a lithium-ion (or “Li-ion”)battery. The battery 124 may be recharged in various ways, such as via aUniversal Serial Bus (“USB”) charger 126. In some embodiments, inaddition to or instead of a battery, lighting control apparatus 106 mayinclude a power supply that may be connected directly to mains power. Insome embodiments, lighting control apparatus 106 may include aninterface that may be connected to a lighting unit 104, or to aluminaire (not depicted) into which lighting unit 104 is installed. Astep-up converter 128 may be provided to ensure that voltage levelssupplied by the battery 124 are converted to levels required bycontroller 108 and/or wireless interface 112.

In embodiments where lighting control apparatus 106 is battery-powered,various techniques may be employed to save power. In some embodiments,controller 108 may be configured to transition from an inactive state,in which controller 108 consumes a first, presumably small amount ofpower, to an active state, in which controller 108 consumes a secondamount of power that is greater than the first amount of power. In someembodiments, controller 108 may transition from the inactive state tothe active state in response to an interrupt raised by anothercomponent, such as accelerometer 118. In some embodiments, accelerometer118 may raise the interrupt in response to sensing motion that satisfiesa particular threshold. A small, e.g., incidental, amount of motion maynot satisfy the threshold, and accelerometer 118 may not “wake up”controller 108. A larger amount of motion may satisfy the threshold,causing accelerometer to raise the interrupt and wake up controller 108.

FIG. 2 depicts one example of components that may be employed inlighting system bridge 102, in accordance with various embodiments. Anad hoc networking component 250 may come in various forms, such as aZigBee Atmega module, and may include a microcontroller 252 powered by apower supply 254 (e.g., mains), an RF receiver module 256, and anantenna 258. A microcontroller with WiFi module 260 may include anothermicrocontroller 262, a wireless interface such as WiFi interface 264,and a WiFi antenna 266.

FIG. 3 depicts an example method 300 that may be performed with alighting control apparatus 106 configured with selected aspects of thepresent disclosure, in accordance with various embodiments. While theseoperations are depicted in a particular order, this is not meant to belimiting. One or more operations may be reordered, added or omitted inaccordance with various embodiments.

At block 302, lighting control apparatus 106 may be activated. Forexample, in some embodiments, lighting control apparatus 106 may beactivated when tape is removed from secure connection 125, which in someinstances may alter a capacitance of one or more probes. In otherembodiments, lighting control apparatus 106 may be activated using othermechanisms, such as user interface 116. After activation but prior toplacement, in some embodiments, lighting control apparatus 106 maymonitor for one or more motions or other stimuli that suggest it hasbeen secured to an object (e.g., a series of motions followed by suddenand extended lack of motion).

At block 304, lighting control apparatus 106 may be secured to a surfaceof an object. Various objects may be effectively turned intotap-sensitive lighting control devices when lighting control apparatus106 is secured to their surfaces. For example, a user may securelighting control apparatus 106 to various objects, including but notlimited to picture frames, chairs, tables, door frames, doors, vases,lamps, luminaires, and so forth.

At block 306, lighting control apparatus 106 may transition into alearning state. In some embodiments, this may occur in response todetection that lighting control apparatus 106 was secured to an objectat block 304. In other embodiments, lighting control apparatus 106 maytransition into the learning state in response to a user command, e.g.,at user interface 116.

At block 308, lighting control apparatus 106 may obtain impulse patternsrepresentative of predetermined motions, e.g., from motion detector 114,as well as one or more indications of one or more lighting propertieswith which those impulse patterns should be associated. At block 310, ifthe learning is not yet complete, then method 300 may proceed back toblock 308 and more impulse patterns may be obtained. If at block 310,the learning is complete, then method 300 may transition out of learningmode and may proceed to block 312.

At block 312, controller 108 of lighting control apparatus 106 mayawait, e.g., from motion detector 114, one or more signalsrepresentative of one or more measured motions (e.g., impulse patterns)that were applied to the object to which lighting control apparatus 106was secured or to another object with which the object is mechanicallycoupled. In some embodiments, only signals that satisfy some sort ofthreshold, e.g., that are strong enough and not likely due to incidentalcontact with the object, satisfy block 312; other signals may beignored. In other embodiments, signals of one type may be compared to orprocessed with signals of another type (e.g. signal from theaccelerometer and signal from the gyroscope) to satisfy the threshold.Once one or more signals that satisfy the threshold are received bycontroller 108 from motion detector 114, method 300 may proceed to block314.

At block 314, it may be determined, e.g., by controller 108, whether theone or more signals correspond to an impulse pattern (e.g., obtained atblock 308) associated with a predetermined motion. If the answer is“yes,” then method 300 may proceed to block 316, at which one or moreproperties of light to be emitted, e.g., by one or more lighting units104, may be selected. In one embodiment, the lighting control apparatus106 determines and controls the properties of light to be emitted by thelight units 104. In another embodiment, the lighting control apparatus106 communicates a signal to the lighting system bridge 102, whichdetermines and controls the properties of light to be emitted by thelight units 104. If the answer at block 314 is “no,” however, method 300may proceed back to block 312.

While several inventive embodiments have been described and illustratedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision avariety of other means and/or structures for performing the functionand/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantagesdescribed herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications isdeemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments describedherein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciatethat all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations describedherein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters,dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon thespecific application or applications for which the inventive teachingsis/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able toascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalentsto the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is,therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presentedby way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claimsand equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventiveembodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individualfeature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein.In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems,articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems,articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent,is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood tocontrol over dictionary definitions, definitions in documentsincorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the definedterms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in thespecification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in theclaims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements soconjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some casesand disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with“and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” ofthe elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be presentother than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause,whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when usedin conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer,in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other thanB); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionallyincluding other elements); etc.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should beunderstood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. Forexample, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall beinterpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, butalso including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and,optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated tothe contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when usedin the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactlyone element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or”as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusivealternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded byterms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or“exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims,shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “atleast one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) canrefer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including morethan one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements otherthan B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally includingmore than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionallyincluding more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including morethan one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one stepor act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarilylimited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method arerecited.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitionalphrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are tobe understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limitedto. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consistingessentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases,respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual ofPatent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.

1. A lighting control apparatus, comprising: an accelerometer; awireless communication interface; a motion transfer and secureconnection component configured to secure the lighting control apparatusto an object and to transfer motion imparted on a surface of the objectto the accelerometer; and a controller coupled with the accelerometerand the wireless communication interface, the controller configured to:receive, from the accelerometer, a signal representative of motionsensed by the accelerometer; determine, based on the signal from theaccelerometer, that the sensed motion satisfies a motion criterion andthat the sensed motion corresponds with a predetermined motion, whichpredetermined motion corresponds to a lighting control command; andtransmit, over the wireless communication interface to a lighting unitor a lighting system bridge, the lighting control command configured tocause one or more lighting units to emit light having one or moreselected properties.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. The lighting controlapparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured totransition to a learning state in which the controller monitors one ormore characteristics of one or more signals from the accelerometer overa learning time interval and generates one or more motion criteria basedon the monitored one or more characteristics.
 5. The lighting controlapparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured tocause audio or visual output to be rendered to prompt a user to apply afirst force to the surface during the learning time interval.
 6. Thelighting control apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to cause audio or visual output to be rendered to prompt theuser to apply a second force to the surface that is different than thefirst force in response to a determination that the first force failedto satisfy a threshold.
 7. The lighting control apparatus of claim 4,wherein the controller is further configured to select, based on asignal received from the accelerometer during the learning timeinterval, a property of light or lighting scene to which a newlygenerated motion criterion is assigned.
 8. The lighting controlapparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to determine,based on one or more characteristics of a signal received from theaccelerometer, a sensitivity threshold to be associated with theaccelerometer.
 9. The lighting control apparatus of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is further configured to: identify, based on the sensedmotion, a physical region of the surface to which force was applied; andselect, based on the identified physical region, the one or moreproperties of light emitted by the one or more lighting units.
 10. Thelighting control apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a microphonecoupled with the controller, wherein the controller is configured todetermine that the sensed motion satisfies the motion criterion furtherbased on a signal from the microphone.
 11. The lighting controlapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a gyroscope, wherein thecontroller is configured to determine that the sensed motion satisfiesthe motion criterion further based on a signal from the gyroscope. 12.The lighting control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller isfurther configured to: determine, based on the signal from theaccelerometer, a magnitude of the sensed motion; and select, based onthe magnitude, the one or more properties of light emitted by the one ormore lighting units.
 13. The lighting control apparatus of claim 1,wherein the controller is further configured to transition from aninactive state, in which the controller consumes a first amount ofpower, to an active state, in which the controller consumes a secondamount of power that is greater than the first amount of power, inresponse to an interrupt raised by the accelerometer, and theaccelerometer is configured to raise the interrupt in response tosensing motion that satisfies a threshold.
 14. The lighting controlapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a placement sensor to raise aplacement signal in response to detection that the lighting controlapparatus has been secured to the surface, wherein the controller isconfigured to transition from an inactive state to an active state inresponse to the placement signal.
 15. A lighting control method,comprising: activating a lighting control apparatus; securing thelighting control apparatus to an object; receiving, by the lightingcontrol apparatus, one or more signals indicative of motion imparted onthe object; identifying, based on the one or more signals, one or morepredetermined motions to which the imparted motion corresponds; andselecting one or more properties of light to be emitted by one or morelighting units based on the identified one or more predeterminedmotions.
 16. The lighting control method of claim 15, furthercomprising: transitioning the lighting control apparatus into a learningstate; obtaining, from a motion detector associated with the lightingcontrol apparatus, one or more impulse patterns for storage as one ormore predetermined motions; and identifying one or more properties oflight to be associated with the one or more predetermined motions. 17.The lighting control method of claim 16, wherein the transitioning isperformed in response to a determination, by the lighting controlapparatus, that the securing has occurred.
 18. (canceled)
 19. (canceled)20. (canceled)